Improvement in refrigerators



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. SHAW. REFRIGERATOR.

Patented Nov.9,1875.

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REFRIGERATOR. 51 159354 Patented Nov. 9,}875.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIoE.

MATHEW SHAW, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN REFRIGEIRATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 169,854, dated November 9, 1875; application filed September 19,1s75.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MATHEW SHAW, of St. Louis, in the county of St. Louis and in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference I being had to the accompanying drawings, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My present invention is intended as an improvement on the refrigerator for which Letters Patent No. 139,428 were granted to me May 27, 1873; and it consists in the construction of a combined ice-box and water-tank, and in the peculiar arrangement of the ventilating-tubes, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 3 a transverse vertical section, of the same.

A A represent the walls, B the bottom, and G the main lid, of my refrigerator, said parts being constructed in any of the known and usual ways, and provided with suitable nonconducting packing. 15 represents the pro vision-chamber, and E the ice-chamber. This ice-ohamberis formed or connected with a tank, E, extending downward for a suitable distance, and which may be used for ice or water. The combined ice-chamber and water-tank E E is made of galvanized iron, and is suspended in such a manner that it hangs clear of the walls of the refrigerator, leaving an air space, a, all around the same. It is provided with a hinged lid,G, so as to make itair-tight, thereby securing the ice from every exposure to a current of air, which would cut it away. The ice-tank being disconnected from the walls of the refrigerator,

' and being made of galvanized iron, which is a conductor of cold, the iron becomes nearly as cold as the ice itself, which creates a current of cold air downward, driving all warm and foul airin its course to the warm-air flues b b.

These flues are placed in the wall of the refrigerator which is farthest away from the icetank, which insures a steady and uniform circulation of cold air through the refrigerator, the warm and foul air passing into the chamber 01 between the inner and outer lids of the refrigerator, and from thence through outlets w m at the back. The ice-chamber and watertank are constructed with inclined bottom, so as to carry off all sweat or vapor that accumulates against the same to a gutter, H, underneath, said gutter having a pipe, h leading out at the bottom of the refrigerator, and provided at its lower end with an ordinary trap or seal, to prevent the ingress of air. The Watertank E is provided with a pipe, i, from its bottom, leading out at the front of the refrigerator, and is to be provided with a faucet for obtaining drinking-water. The water is not exposed to the provision-chamber, and hence does not become contaminated with the vapors from the provisions. The provisionchamber is provided with an inside lid, Gr, corresponding with the lid G of the ice-chainber. and it has, also, two filled doors, I I, in front, which areso arranged that only a portion of the body of the refrigerator need to be exposed in its use.

Having thus fully describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with refrigerator-body A B O, of the ice-chamber E and water-tank E, with closed bottom, and suspended to form a continuous air-space, at, around the same, and the ventilating-pipes b b. in the walls farthest from the ice-chamber and air'exits 01:, whereby a current of cold air passes downward from the ice-chamber, driving the warm and foul air through the flues b b and out the exits in the lid, all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of 1 August, 1875.

' MATHEW SHAW.

Witnesses:

AUGUST FRoEBEL, KONSTANDIN HENKEL. 

